


The Truth of The Matter

by DabByDaylight



Series: The Making of: A Three-Part Tale [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), The Gameknight999 Series
Genre: (he deserves some of it though; you’ll see), Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Friendship Is The Best Ship, Gen, Panic Attacks, Slow To Update, Tommy has PTSD my dudes, ch. 1 is just exposition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28293645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DabByDaylight/pseuds/DabByDaylight
Summary: Two years following “Mission to the Moon”.Tommy didn’t need to use the Digitizer for any reason so far; but things change.The pressure of being his sister’s father-figure is one that he doesn’t enjoy thinking about, yet that was his biggest problem at that moment.Until...
Series: The Making of: A Three-Part Tale [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072448
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	The Truth of The Matter

Tommy had nothing against the game called 

_” Minecraft”.  _

In fact, it had been a big part of his life up until about two years ago.

He wanted to play more, but true to his Dad’s word, the effects on his health would be catastrophic. 

According to the inventor, “it could hurt you mentally.”

That wasn’t the only reason, however.

Schoolwork played quite a role regarding his poor management of time.

It seemed that no matter how much homework Tommy did, it would hardly make a dent in his duties as a student.

He checked up on his friends in Minecraft every once in awhile, but he hadn’t used The Digitizer itself ever since he saved Weaver and stopped Entity303 from destroying said game.

What was with that, anyway? Was the present an alternate timeline or was it something else? 

If he was being honest, even though Tommy missed being the hero that everyone he knew believed him to be; there was just always more work to do.

As the oldest in his family, he was expected to set an example for his sister, Jennifer.

His father was almost never around, so he was left to take up the mantle of the precedent.

Tommy just couldn’t shun the responsibilities that came with being the oldest male in the house.

This year marked the fifth since he first used The Digitizer, also meaning that Tommy was turning  _sixteen._ For him,  _ sixteen _ was a huge number.

Looking back on his Minecraft years, he’d say it was the time of his life. Of course, he would never say that out loud. 

These days, Minecraft was wrongly accused of having only nine-year-olds as users. Anyone would be made a laughingstock.

Not to mention that the lead programmer of Minecraft—Notch—signed over the rights to his game. 

Notch had moved on, and now Tommy had been forced to as well.

All of the adults said that this was the time to get a job, but he didn’t feel as if he was prepared. Soon he would have to drive himself to work, pay his own bills; it was all happening way too fast.

Even though he thought of himself as “Tommy”, excluding his own family, everyone called him “Tom”.

That was a big deal to him. It meant that people would have to rely on him more often, and that if something went downhill it would be his fault.

A few days from now would be the beginning of summer break. Tommy could only hope that he’d have time to hang out with his friends.

The memories of his new companions from the past filled his head as he sighed.

Now, Tommy would never be able to see them again...

Two years ago, during a thunderstorm, Tommy had selfishly opened Minecraft when his father told him not to.

Because the game was on, the Digitizer malfunctioned due to a power surge and had sent Tommy hundreds of years into the past.

It was there he met the evil virus Herobrine for the last time.

Gathering up the NPCs (non-playable characters) and pretending to be their fallen leader, he convinced them to fight for the sake of Minecraft.

It was a battle in the Nether, with the losses being great on both sides.

An antivirus program named “The Oracle” was a great contributor to the war.

She was presumably added into the game by Notch himself.

Thanks to his friends, Herobrine was defeated and had to retreat.

Notch had intervened at the last moment, and had realized that Tom was not an NPC. 

Before he could say anything else, his dad manually switched off the Digitizer. Tommy ended up writing a prophecy about his return before he left, leaving all the pieces in place.

Because he had went to the past, Tom had indirectly made innocent people suffer. Even now, he still thought about the battles he’d gone through. Sometimes, it even haunted his dreams.

Tommy shook his head. It was later on in the night; he’d been staring at the ceiling.

He knew he had to sleep, there was school in the morning; but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong.

Thinking back on it, he was distracted by Notch appearing to notice anything else, as were the NPCs. 

How was he  that stupid back then?

Who knows what happened during the years he was gone? Hundreds, maybe even thousands were probably killed because he couldn’t finish the job.

Tommy forced those thoughts down as he had done many times before. In this way, Minecraft was still affecting him.

“Maybe I could check again, you know, just in case.” He quietly whispered to himself.

Before the whole fiasco with Entity303 occurred, Tom had been training his not-power. By that he meant he could replay events over and over in his head while he was asleep, and see details he had missed while he was actually experiencing it. 

It’s definitely a not-power, since it’s utterly useless in the waking world.

Recently, Tommy found that the ability even goes as far as to show things that he wasn’t there to see. Like around a few minutes, at most.

Even so, he couldn’t sleep. It was only when he was too exhausted to keep his eyes open did he finally rest.

* * *

_ A heavy fog settled around Tommy, almost obscuring his vision. The mist had a silvery tint to it, moisture evident.  _

_ He stared at the fog for a moment, not registering the situation. _

_ Tommy had seen this, but only in Minecraft situations. He was a rare dream-walker, able to dream about and change his surroundings. Granted, only if his target was asleep and in Minecraft. He hadn’t tried it on a real person, although the notion itself was enough to be tempting. _

_ Why was he here again? _

_ Oh right, it was to dispel the fears from before. _

_ Every time the fog rolled in, something bad always seemed to happen. Tommy uncomfortably rubbed at his arms as his clothes dampened.  _

_ He thought about his favorite enchanted armor in Minecraft, and suddenly, it was there. In the Land of Dreams, he could do whatever he wanted, as long as he could picture it. _

_ Although he knew that nothing was going to hurt him, Tommy liked being prepared. _

_ He surveyed his surroundings and saw red rocks, which he recognized as netherrack. Even in a dream-like state, Tommy could still feel the smoldering heat that was only present in the Nether. _

This was the final fight, _ he realized. _

_ His not-power wasn’t exact, even after all these years. It was sort of hit or miss, and not the song type. _

_ Gameknight999, his avatar, had seen Herobrine far away, on top of a hill-like place. The virus was enraged at the complete turn of events, his eyes shining brightly. _

_ It was then that Notch appeared in a bolt of lightning. _

_ Some of the mobs attacked the owner, but he didn’t resist. _

_ Knowing what was going to happen, Tommy looked away at something else. _

_ He saw the portal that Weaver got taken from close, which was dealt with previously.  _

Honestly, I shouldn’t have come back here , _he let out a nonexistent breath._

_ There was, however, one thing that he seemed to be missing. He felt as if it was staring him right in the face. _

_ Where was Herobrine? _

_ After all these years, Tommy still felt inadequate when it came to common sense. _

_ He looked the scene over once more. _

_ The program in question stood back as to not be seen. Everyone who was awake was translucent, so it was hard to see the artificial intelligence. _

Wait, what?

_Tom teleported next to him and glanced over at the dark crafter. _

_ He was holding his shoulder where he had been damaged. There was no physical reason for that, really. _

_ Why was he doing that? _

_ The usual harsh white of his eyes was almost nonexistent, which the dream-walker had never witnessed before. _

_ The virus stared at Notch from afar, _

_ his eyes almost being a dark color.  _

_ He seemed thoughtful, if you could even call it that. _

_ This confused Tommy. The Herobrine he knew showed no interest in anyone! _

_ Although everything in his dreams had already happened. _

_ Dreaming, to dream walkers, was a form of clairvoyance. _

_ Lightning came down and struck the mobs: Notch’s punishment to the creatures. The same ones made the NPCs disappear as well, taking them back to their villages. _

_ The program watched all the while, as if in a daze. Without warning, his head snapped up, startling Tom. _

_ “Why...that...” _

_ The virus mumbled something intelligible under his breath, crushing his fingers into his own palms. His eyes lit up again, normal to see from this perspective. _

_ Tom rewound the dream, wanting to see it again. Now that he was aware of it, he could feel the scene move, all at the same time. It was like part of his brainpower was devoted to the other sequences. He knew it was there, in his subconscious, and once he did, he could teleport there. _

I want to know what he said , _he thought._

_ This time, Tommy stood a little closer to Herobrine.  _

_ “Why...you...that...” _

_ It wasn’t enough to hear the entire phrase, sadly.  _

_ So he stood even closer the third time, ignoring the protests from his common sense. _

This is a stupid idea , _it advised._

_ That suggestion went in one ear and out the other. _

_ “Why would you do that to  him ,” The program mumbled, crushing his fingers into his palms and...did he just flicker red?  _

_ That’s not good by any standard. _

_ When Tommy’s in-game character disappeared, Notch turned his head to needlessly look for him. _

_ Right as the developer looked in the dark crafter’s direction, he disappeared in a faint cloud of purple particles. _

_ It was like he wasn’t even there to begin with. Notch, of course, did not notice this. The owner was not within render distance of the cloud. _

_ The programmer floated there like he was AFK (away from keyboard), then he was gone. _

_ The monsters had all wandered off by this time, leaving the war zone empty. _

_ It was peaceful to a certain point, that point being knowledge of the genocide that happened not even fifteen minutes ago. Tommy frowned at the thought. _

_ Despite this, the area itself was silent, save for the bubbling of the lava and the soft crackle of the fires. _

_ “I didn’t think you’d come to visit.” _

_ A familiar voice said behind him, clear as day. _

_ Tom felt everything that happened, and this was not in the script. He should’ve seen this coming! _

_ He whipped around, startled by the low tone that he had heard many times before. _

* * *

Tommy shot out of bed, covering his mouth. He didn’t want to give away his position...by waking up his family. That would be bad, right?

He was sweating, and his heart was racing as if he’d go into cardiac arrest.

He became aware that he wasn’t breathing at all.

Probably not a good sign, judging by the dizziness quickly filling his head.

Letting out a breath through gritted teeth, he almost bit his tongue. 

Tommy tried it again: inhale, exhale.

Usually it was effortless, but it wasn’t like he’s  choosing to be difficult. 

His muscles were just refusing to cooperate with him!

Instead of forcing himself, he held his breath and listened to his heartbeat.

It almost hurt, how fast it was throbbing, and how loud it was in his eardrums.

Blood circulated around his brain and his vision was dimming by this point.

Tommy finally let out the air that was trapped in his lungs, and repeated the motions.

It was unclear how long it was until he was fine to move without the risk of suffocating,  _ again _ .

“I’m so tired of waking up like this.” 

He groaned.

Looking over at the clock, the time was 5:39. Soon, he would have to get up.

He laid back down to wait until the alarm went off, wanting to sleep in for 15 more minutes. 

He closed his eyes to try and rest.

It felt like a few seconds before the obnoxious alarm starting ringing, the noise grating against his ears.

Tommy reached for the clock and failed.

He tried again, and missed once more.

It would’ve been comical to anybody else, but right now it was just irritating.

Finally, he kicked the alarm off of the bedside table and unplugged it from the wall with his hand.

Tommy did  not want to stand up, but the desire to finish this school made him give an effort. 

He rolled out of bed, falling off the edge, landing with a thump.

“Today’s really just not my day, huh?” He said, covering his face in defeat.

What was that vision, and what did it mean? Was that program still around? Did he make a mistake? Was his friends in danger? He shouldn’t have stayed here so long! 

“Woof!” Barky jumped up on top of Tommy, who was now on the ground.

“Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t be afraid anymore, Herobrine is gone.” He imagined talking to his dog, Barky.

“Woof woof!”

“I know I shouldn’t let my guard down, but it’s starting to affect my life in the real world. What should I do?”

Barky the science dog whimpered and rubbed his face up against Tommy’s arm.

“You don’t know, huh? It’s okay, I might figure it out later. Thanks for the help, boy.”

The dog seemed to be content with this answer, and Tommy put a hand on his pet’s head.

He covered his eyes with his sleeve, letting his other hand fall through Barky to the ground.

Barky was gone physically, but pretending he was there made him feel better.

Tommy sat up, still hearing the dog barking in his ears. It faded out, and reality struck him like a train. It had happened like this every day since...well.

That day, Jenny was supposed to feed Barky. 

She had left for school, but forgot to close the door. 

They had looked everywhere, but they never found him.

The pain healed with time, but Tom was convinced that he would go at least a little crazy. 

He lifted himself off the floor and plugged the alarm clock back into the power outlet. 

It was time to get ready for school.

He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. 

Tom glanced up at the mirror.

There was a lanky, raggedy moron reflecting back at him. The man looked like it had rolled through the grass after it had rained. In addition to this, there were such deep bags under its dark blue eyes, it looked like sleep wasn’t in its dictionary.

He looked absolutely stupid.

Tommy went to the kitchen to put bread into the toaster, and went back to his room to get dressed. He haphazardly threw on his clothes, and brushed through his messy brown hair a few times just to make it look like he didn’t just wake up.

He then went back to the toaster to get his toast, but realized that it was left unplugged again.

“Jenny, you dummy...” He grumbled through a mouthful of cold bread.

Tom had deemed it a waste of time since it would take longer to cook the bread again. He opened the fridge to get a yogurt and a cheese stick to throw into a plastic ziplock bag. 

When he finally finished his “breakfast”, he was already slinging one of the straps of his pre-made backpack over his shoulder.

Tom walked out the door.

Maybe if he didn’t, his life and reputation wouldn’t have been ruined. 

Maybe his friend would’ve been alright.

Maybe he wouldn’t have to be stuck in a nightmare, and maybe he would’ve actually had that summer vacation he was looking forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you can tell by the tone of the first chapter, but Thomas is older in this story. This means responsibility, and it’s not too happy.  
> Be warned.
> 
> Started writing this in 2018, you can thank the sudden popularity of Minecraft as a whole for pushing me to write the third chapter.
> 
> (I can’t believe I’m writing a Minecraft fanfiction...)
> 
> Planning takes time and motivation, it doesn’t work easily for me.  
> (This ends up coming from comments and such)
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
